A beginners guide to adventure racing

Adventure racing is a sport that requires teams of four to travel together on foot, by bike and kayak using only a map and compass to navigate their way through the course. Adventure races can range from 3 hours to 10 days in length and take place all over the world. If getting out into the outdoors with a group of friends and pushing your physical, emotional and psychological boundaries sounds like you, then adventure racing is your sport.

I discovered adventure racing in 2000 with a 24 hour race based in Auckland. Thinking back to this race makes me laugh. We had bulky heavy gear, 12 volt battery packs and homemade lights and bikes that weighed a ton. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in for but we had an absolute blast and I was hooked. This sport brought together all my past experiences and my passion for people and the outdoors. I had found the sport for me. Over the past 13 years I have raced in multiple events in numerous locations with varying levels of success. I am no elite athlete, I'm never likely to be on the podium yet this sport has kept my interest all these years and I am still learning new things every time I race.

Where to start? If this sport tickles your fancy then there are a few things you can do to make your first foray into the sport as enjoyable as possible - Find three other teammates that you enjoy spending time with and you know feel the same way you do about the outdoors. The bottom line in this sport is that if you don't like being wet or cold or outdoors getting down and dirty then stay away from adventure racing.
- Make sure that everyone on the team has the same goals and aspirations for the team - if one team member is out to win and another is simply there to enjoy the experience - there will be trouble !! Make sure everyone is on the same page.
- Make sure someone in the team can read map on the go. It is ideal if all the team can make sense of a map but at the least you need one person who is happy to take the lead on the navigation. These days there are plenty of orienteering events and rogaine events ( rogaining is a sport where you must collect as many checkpoints as you can in a set period of time) for you to participate in. Sign up to your local orienteering club and get as much practice reading a map as possible. Also make sure you have a map with you on training sessions even if you know where to go. Plan training missions with your team that involve navigation challenges
- Kit yourselves out with bikes, access to kayaks ( a lot of races these days don't require you to supply your own kayak so you don't really need to buy one but it is important to be able to train on one) and a pair of offroad running shoes.
- Choose an event, train for it - complete it

For those of you living in Auckland New Zealand here are some links to orienteering clubs, rogaines, and adventure races here in Auckland. I have also included the websites of some expedition length adventure races in NZ and Aussie.
http://www.orienteeringauckland.org.nz/
http://lacticturkey.co.nz/
http://www.arcevents.co.nz/
http://www.godzoneadventure.com/
http://www.geocentricoutdoors.com.au/

If you have any questions about adventure racing please leave a comment on this blog or message us on Facebook - girlsontop new zealand and we will do our best to answer

Happy adventuring - Team Macpac Girls on Top